


I Saw You Fall

by Musetotheworld



Series: Tumblr Prompt Fills [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 08:25:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9170692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musetotheworld/pseuds/Musetotheworld
Summary: Kara is hurt while Cat is away.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The popular vote is for splitting things up, so here we go! I think anything that I like that's over 1,500 words, anything over 2,000 words, or anything I plan on expanding at some point will be a separate work, and I'll keep the other for quick fills.

"Carter, get your things together, now!" Cat yells once she can think, once she can look away from the screens that so recently had shown one of her worst nightmares.

"Mom, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Carter asks as he runs into her room, worried look on his fave as he responds to the panic in her voice. It's not something he's used to hearing, very little has the power to terrify Cat into showing a reaction these days.

"Just gather your things, we need to head back to the city." Her tone now is controlled, fiercely so, she doesn't want to give Carter more reason to worry. She doesn't want to explain, because explaining will make her think about it as well.

Instead she calls her pilot to see how quickly they can fly home, how long it will take. And when he tells her it will be at least three hours before he can prep the plane, let alone begin to plot a flight plan, she nearly hangs up on him then and there. A deep breath or two has her control returning, and as calmly as she can she tells him to fly the plane back to National City as soon as he's able, but that she'll find alternate arrangements home.

She'd sworn when she bought the jet that she'd never fly commercial again, but time is of the essence and the thought of waiting hours for a flight is too much. She needs to be back in National City now, curses the distance that means she has to wait no matter how quickly she's on her way.

"All packed, mom," Carter says as he waits in the door of her room, still looking worried. "What's going on?"

"Supergirl was hurt," Cat says, not explaining more than that. She knows if she tries, the words won't come.

How can she explain to Carter the horror that was watching Kara slam into the ground as she fell from the sky, the horror of watching her still form carried off by government agents? How can she explain the hurt and pain that's had her running these past months, away from a kiss that should never have happened, but that she can't stop thinking about? How do you tell your son you fell in love with a god? Or explain that even a god can bleed?

Even the three words she can speak rock Carter's certainty in the world, she can see in his face. Because Supergirl has been hurt before, but never so badly that Cat has panicked, never so badly that she's gone running home. And Supergirl isn't supposed to be that fragile, that human. She's strength personified, an unchanging icon for humanity to hang their hopes on. She's an ideal, and it's too easy to forget the person behind that image. Too easy to forget that no one is immune to death.

Carter doesn't push for more than that, seems to understand that Cat's control is just a mask, that she's being strong for him. And Cat is thankful for that, even as she feels guilty. She's the parent, she should be comforting her son, but the image of Kara falling has turned her into the one who needs comfort, and Carter can tell. He stays close all through the airport, leans his head against Cat's shoulder for the entirety of the flight, not saying a word but giving her a grounding focus to distract from her swirling thoughts.

He doesn't even complain when she has a driver take him to his father's house, and Cat is distracted for at least a few minutes by how grateful she is that her son is so amazingly mature and understanding. She's not even sure how she's going to get into what's sure to be a top secret government facility, can't imagine a single reason they'd allow a teenage boy in with her, but Carter just hugs her fiercely before heading off without complaint, his only request that she tell him how Supergirl is doing as soon as she can.

It takes long enough to get a response from someone who can tell her what's going on that Cat feels constantly on the edge of screaming. Each second drags on, the memory of the one time she's felt Kara's lips against her own taunting her as she tries to focus on getting answers. She'd thought at the time, and during the months since, that one kiss was too many, that she should have been strong enough to resist temptation when it was offered. But now that Kara is hurt, now that there's a chance it could never happen again, one time will never seem like enough.

She'd thought leaving and staying away was for the best, that letting Kara into her life, into her heart, would be a mistake. She'd thought that her heart was too bitter, too cold, too closed off to ever love Kara the way the girl deserved.

Based on the way her chest feels tight, the way every breath is a struggle, she'd been wrong about that.

In the end it takes some of her best blackmail material to get answers, but Cat doesn't care. She'd throw away almost anything at this point to know Kara was okay, a few secrets she's been sitting on for decades seems like nothing. And she can't claim they don't get results, after running a pen half out of ink and contributing to at least an acre of deforestation, Cat is finally allowed entrance to the DEO, ushered immediately to Kara's side where she lies unconscious.

The agent from Myriad is standing at her side with a protective look on her face, but something in Cat's demeanor seems to quell her instinct to lash out, and they stand silently together watching Kara rest, Cat practically counting the seconds between each breath as she drinks in the reassurance that Kara is alive. Hurt, battered, still unconscious, but alive.

After two hours standing there, barely moving, the agent, Alex Cat finally remembers, literally pushes Cat onto one of two cots several agents had brought in, finally speaking for the first time since Cat had entered the room.

"She won't wake up any time soon, and if you stand there any longer you're going to collapse, and I'm not willing to worry about you because you're stubborn as shit, not when I should be focused on my sister," she says, filling in a piece of the puzzle that Cat probably should have figured out sooner.

"Will you wake me when she does?" Cat asks, settling onto the cot with barely a grimace. She's slept on worse, years ago, would sleep on worse now to stay at Kara's side.

Alex looks like she wants to deny the request, but a glance back at Kara's too still form takes the fight out of her posture. "I don't think she'll wake before you do, but if she does then yeah, I'll wake you."

"Thank you," Cat says as she lays back, the emotions combined with the length of the day catching up to her, and she's asleep before she can do more than offer a silent prayer to the universe let Kara be okay.

The next day is spent waiting as well, though Cat can see a bit of color returning to Kara's cheeks as the hours pass. And Cat's never sat so still for so long in her life, but somehow this time it doesn't chafe. She's waiting for Kara, would wait years, and a few hours phase her not at all.

Finally Kara stirs, and Alex is the first to her side, a sharp glance at Cat keeping her out of the way as she does a quick scan of Kara's vitals, tension lessening with every returned result. "Hey Kara, you with us?" she asks quietly as Kara's eyes flutter open, slamming shut again the next second. "Slowly now, you know the drill. You're as human as the rest of us for a few days, I'm afraid. Take it nice and slow."

This time when Kara's eyes open they stay open, and Cat has to fight down a wave of tears when the relief hits her. "How long was I out this time?" Kara asks, wincing as she carefully moves each of her limbs. "Because from the way my back feels, you've had me laying here for a while."

"We'll get a more comfortable bed for long term stays at some point, but I don't want to encourage you to need them," Alex teases, and Cat smiles at the easy relationship between them. "You've been out for about a day and a half, scared the shit out of us all."

"I'm sorry," Kara whispers, and now Cat feels like she's intruding. "He was faster than I thought."

"He was faster than we all thought," Alex reassures her, carefully covering one bandaged hand with her own. "But you need to learn to pace yourself, you really scared us this time. Even dragged this one halfway across the world to check on you."

Kara starts in surprise when she notices Cat standing in the background, glancing between her and Alex in confusion. "How are you here?" she asks, finally focusing on Cat when Alex gives her no answers. "Why are you here?"

"I saw you fall," Cat says as she slowly walks forward, grateful when Alex not only doesn't stop her but also steps away from the bed to give them space. "I needed to know you were okay."

"You were in London," Kara points out, staring up at her with an unreadable look on her face. "Which means you flew halfway across the world to be here right now."

"Also blackmailed three senators and the secretary of state," Alex points out, sounding almost impressed.

"I needed to see you," Cat says, reaching out as Alex had done early to cover Kara's hand. She wishes she dared do more, but it's been months since she'd shut Kara out so abruptly, she can barely believe she hasn't been kicked out already.

"You blackmailed government officials just to see me?" Kara asks, hope beginning to dance in her eyes.

"I couldn't even think of staying away," Cat admits, finally shifting her hand to rest carefully on Kara's cheek, avoiding the bruises and scrapes as best she can. "I shouldn't have left in the first place."

"I think I'm still mad at you for that," Kara says after a long minute, and Cat nods, having expected that. "But I'm also really glad you're here now."

And when she goes to lean up, wincing at the movement, Cat quickly leans down to close the distance to bring their lips together, pouring her apology into every soft kiss, careful to avoid putting any pressure on Kara's bruised body.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."


End file.
